1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an index card for a recording medium casing for accommodating therein a recording medium and a recording medium casing provided with the index card and more particularly to an index card provided with a non-contact type integrated circuit element called a non-contact type IC or a RF-ID or a contact type integrated circuit element and a recording medium casing provided with such an index card.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a casing for accommodating a recording medium such as an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a magnet-optical disk, magnetic tape, a semiconductor memory or the like, an index card recording thereon information on what is recorded in the recording medium is attached in order to know the information without the recording medium being loaded in a reproduction system, and the index card is arranged to be visible from outside the casing or to be taken out from the casing to read the information recorded on the index card.
However, since the area of the index card is limited though the recording media are very much increased in their recording capacities, there are often cases that what is recorded in the recording medium is too long to record manually or by a printer on the index card.
Further, as the number of the recording medium to be stored increases, to search for a recording medium in which a desired content is recorded in the vast number of recording media requires substantial time and labor even if an index card on which such information has been recorded is provided.
Further, recently, there have been demands that production information (lot number, data on the specification and/or the characteristics of the recording medium, and the like), sales information, career in renting and/or information when the recording medium is used or discarded are recorded in sequence and that further detailed information on what is recorded in the recording medium such as data directory or information attached to information on what is recorded in the recording medium such as information which explains or replenishes the information on what is recorded in the recording medium is to be obtained easily and rapidly without the recording medium being loaded in a reproduction system to utilize them in retrieving, processing and/or managing.
In order to meet these demands, there have been proposed, for instance, a recording medium disk provided with a non-contact type IC and an antenna on the recording medium itself or the cartridge having the recording medium built therein (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11(1999)-086347), a cartridge type recording medium disk provided with a non-contact type IC and an antenna on the label bonded to the recording medium cartridge (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10(1998)-214478), and a recording medium cassette provided with a non-contact type IC and a terminal connected to the non-contact type IC in the recording medium cartridge and with an antenna and a terminal in the casing for the recording medium cartridge so that the terminals are brought into contact with each other to connect the antenna with the non-contact type IC in response to accommodation of the recording medium in the casing (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-103082).
In these non-contact type IC, it is needless to say that as the area (loop) of the antenna is enlarged, the region over which the transmission can be received becomes wider (U.S. Pat. No. 6,967,630).
However, when a non-contact type IC and an antenna are provided on the recording medium itself as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11(1999)-086347, the region in which the antenna is positioned is limited to a narrow range and at the same time, when the non-contact type IC is partly mounted on a recording medium where very accurate characteristics are required in the environmental change during manufacture and/or storage/use with respect to the dimensional accuracy, warp, rotational balance and the like, there is a fear that the characteristics are deteriorated and the manufacturing cost can be added.
Further, when a non-contact type IC and an antenna are provided on the cartridge having a recording medium built therein as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11(1999)-086347, to mount a non-contact type IC and an antenna on a three-dimensional plastic component and to connect them to function will give rise to a lot of difficulties in technique and cost though it seems that as if there is plenty of space in which a relatively large area antenna is positioned.
Though simpler and can be realized at lower cost as compared with those disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 11(1999)-086347, those where a non-contact type IC and an antenna are provided on the label bonded to the recording medium cartridge as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10(1998)-214478 are limited in the region on which the label is applied since the recording medium cartridge has a mechanical interface which connects the recording medium cartridge to the recording/reproducing system, and it is difficult to ensure the space in which a large area antenna is positioned. Accordingly, since it is necessary to cause an external antenna to approach the cartridge when external information is to be transmitted to or received by the non-contact type IC, it becomes difficult to add a function which requires a long transmission distance and a wide transmission range as in the case where information is received at one time from the non-contact type ICs of a plurality of cartridges which have been stored in a casing in a stacked state.
The recording medium cassette provided with a non-contact type IC and a terminal connected to the non-contact type IC in the recording medium cartridge and with an antenna and a terminal in the casing for the recording medium cartridge so that the terminals are brought into contact with each other to connect the antenna with the non-contact type IC in response to accommodation of the recording medium in the casing as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-103082 is disadvantageous in that a fear that contact failure is generated between the terminals cannot be avoided since it is necessary to provide terminals in both the cartridge and the casing though a non-contact type IC is used though the above problem can be overcome.
Though it is further conceivable to provide a contact-type IC which is provided with a terminal and requires no antenna in a recording medium or a cartridge having such a recording medium built therein, this approach is disadvantageous in that the recording medium or the cartridge can be wholly defective when the IC fails during use or storage after the recording medium or the cartridge is shipped irrespective of whether the IC is of a contact type or a non-contact type. In the case of failure, though changing the IC or copying it to the recording medium is possible, for instance, changing the IC built in the cartridge requires disassembling of cartridge shells which are fastened together by welding or screwing. The recording medium in which information has been recorded can be deteriorated or a lot of labor and/or cost can be required upon disassembling of cartridge shells.
Further, ICs are costly irrespective of whether they are of a contact type or a non-contact type, and when ICs are mounted on a recording medium or a cartridge, the cost of a recording medium or a cartridge is increased. Accordingly, for the users which does not need a lot of information on the recording medium and what is recorded in the recording medium, an inexpensive recording medium or cartridge without an IC is sufficiently conceivable. However, for the manufacturer, to deal it with the assembly line becomes difficult since it means that the kinds of the product to be assembled in the assembly line increases. Further, it becomes impossible after assembly to visually distinguish whether an IC is built in the cartridge.
Further, in the case where though a recording medium or a cartridge without a contact type or non-contact type IC has been purchased at the beginning, an IC subsequently becomes necessary, it is very difficult to post mount an IC and there is an increased fear that important recorded data is damaged.